LIGHT POT SMOKING CAN ENHANCE IQ, STUDY SAYS

Pot Heads Become Dopes. Tokers IQs Go Up In Smoke.

Mike Patriquen said he expected the negative headlines because the media
love sexy topics like pot.

But he said the national media didn't report the positive side of a medical
report released last week into the effect of marijuana use on a persons IQ.

The study, in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said smoking at
least five joints a week reduces a persons IQ.

However, the Carleton University study also said light users actually
gained 5.8 IQ points. And the loss for heavy users was temporary; they got
back the 4.1 intelligence quotient points when they quit smoking.

That led lead author Peter Fried to conclude that marijuana does not have a
long-term negative impact on global intelligence.

I expected to see the negative references from (the study), but if you read
it carefully, it says you actually improve your IQ, said Patriquen.

He said the study proves government should legalize marijuana.

Patriquen smokes two grams of marijuana every day for pain caused by a
damaged nerve in his neck.

He said the side effects from heavy doses of painkillers such as valium
were much more debilitating for him than anything that comes with marijuana
use.

Patriquen estimates 10 per cent of metro resident smoke pot regularly.
There are more retail pot sellers in HRM than Green Gables. Its ingrained
into our culture. You go out on Saturday to get your groceries, stop by the
liquor store and get an eight pack of beer then stop by and get a couple of
grams of pot.

But Fried said he'd like to do a more in-depth study to measure the effect
of marijuana on specific brain tasks, because an IQ score is only a general
measure of intelligence. It doesn't account for things like memory loss and
attention levels.